Seven-month ban imposed on fishing

The State government on Thursday clamped a seven-month ban on fishing in the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Kendrapara district as mass nesting by endangered Olive Ridley turtles begun.

The ban on the 20-km stretch of the Dhamra-Rushikulya river mouth was clamped in accordance with Sections 2, 7 and 4 of the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1982, and provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

“To ensure the safety of turtles, the prohibitory orders are being strictly enforced,” Manoj Kumar Mahapatra, Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division said.

The ban was to prevent turtles dying from being entangled in fishing nets, he said.

Fishermen, however, said that conservation of the endangered Ridleys should not be at the cost of livelihood of thousands of fishermen.

They said that most fishermen fish without harming the turtles.

To make up the loss of fishermen, the World Bank-funded Integrated Coastal Zone Management Programme took up alternative livelihood projects. – PTI

– Published by The Hindu, Kendrapara, November 2, 2012

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